Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (ESV)

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (NIV)

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (NLT)

Dive Deeper:

Polarizing Postures

I hate conflict. Growing up, I skirted disagreements through avoidance, not vocalizing my feelings, or distancing myself from relationships. Since becoming an adult, I have recognized how unhealthy this is and have worked to take a different approach, but I still struggle. 

There are two polarizing postures people take on conflict—the polite pleaser or the ceaseless challenger. I was the first, and the second is the person who looks for conflict and repeatedly finds themselves stuck in it. Most of us love the tension or hate it. Very few navigate conflict in a redemptive way. In a way that strives for harmony—Jesus’ way.

Renewed Reality

Christ approached unity directly (as opposed to polite pleasers) and with love (as opposed to ceaseless challengers). He taught radical commands like, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24) And He made claims like, “By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Through Jesus' vision for unity, we see this it comes with a renewed reality. Unity isn’t ignoring pain with unresolved feelings but opening your full self to another and finding a resolution. Unity isn’t a surface-level social media post but breaking bread around a table. Unity isn’t abstract; it’s palpable. 

The fruit of unity in Psalm 133 is oil and dew. Two pleasing themes in Scripture. Oil: warm and glistening like a relationship of joy. Dew: fresh and new like a relationship expectant of possibility. We can see these two pictures. We can smell, touch, and taste them. That’s power— when unity becomes tangible. Rather than running toward or from conflict, we must live into the redemptive potential on the other side. And we do that by living out what our verse infers: dwelling together.

Our House

Earlier, I mentioned my tendency to avoid conflict growing up, but my sister was one I still sometimes got into it with. We got along well, but my parents wouldn’t allow us to avoid conflict when we didn’t. Instead, we faced it head-on because we were family at the end of the day. As the church, I wonder why we see things differently. Today, our adoption as God's children is emphasized, and rightfully so! But shockingly, in Paul’s 13 letters, “brother and sister” shows up 139 times, far more than “son” or “daughter.” Paul emphasizes our sibling relationship, saying, “Whatever conflict you are struggling with, at the end of the day, you are family.” So if we want real harmony we must live together as a family does. Through conflict to the other side. Because there, oil and dew are released, when we dwell in unity.

Written by Ben Hesch